News & Commentary Archive

Russians love sports. They always have. Like their counterparts in other countries, they believe that athletic prowess reflects national strength. Russians also like television. The country has hundreds of channels, and although young people might reach for their cell phones or laptops in the big cities, as many as 85 percent of Russian citizens still depend on television for their news.

As anyone who has followed the Obamacare roller coaster over the past 4 years knows, passing legislation is only the first step in reforming a healthcare system. Since Obamacare came into law, we have been consumed by battles over how to implement it, and by struggles over how to make it work effectively. But such implementation struggles are not new to Obamacare. We sometimes fail to remember that previous healthcare laws rolled out with a fair amount of controversy of their own.

Four Duke faculty members were ranked among the most influential scholars in the nation’s dialogue on education in a list released by Education Week on Jan. 8. Three Sanford School of Public Policy professors, Helen Ladd, Charles Clotfelter and Jacob Vigdor, were in the top 75 on the list of 200. Peter Arcidiacono, professor of economics, also was included.

The question of immigration reform awaits House leaders after the holiday recess on January 7. The Senate did its part with a comprehensive bill six months ago, but Republicans who control the House have clearly expressed preference for a "piecemeal" series of bills rather than a comprehensive one. President Obama's recent indication that he'd accept this approach virtually assures laws will be changed one step at a time, if at all.